U.S. patent number 6,142,558 [Application Number 09/287,351] was granted by the patent office on 2000-11-07 for recliner with primary and secondary ottomans.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Action Industries, Inc.. Invention is credited to Teddy J. May.
United States Patent |
6,142,558 |
May |
November 7, 2000 |
Recliner with primary and secondary ottomans
Abstract
A low-leg reclining chair disclosed includes a base, right and
left sides, a seat, a back, an ottoman having a primary section and
a secondary section. The seat, back and the primary and secondary
sections of the ottoman are interconnected by reclining mechanisms
mounted as mirror-image duplicates of each other on the sides of
the chair. The reclining mechanisms permit movement of the seat,
back and ottoman between a fully erect position, in which the
primary section remains exposed along the chair beneath the seat
with the secondary section concealed behind the primary section,
and at least one reclining position, in which both the primary and
secondary sections are extended with the secondary section
positioned between the primary section and the seat. The reclining
mechanisms include a multiple-link linkage subassembly having upper
and lower forward links that interconnect the primary and secondary
sections to a seat-mounting link. The secondary section is
connected to the multiple-link linkage subassembly with a one-piece
secondary ottoman-mounting link that is simultaneously pivotally
connected to the upper forward and lower forward links.
Inventors: |
May; Teddy J. (Tupelo, MS) |
Assignee: |
Action Industries, Inc.
(Tupelo, MS)
|
Family
ID: |
26764091 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/287,351 |
Filed: |
April 7, 1999 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/75;
297/85R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C
1/0355 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47C
1/038 (20060101); A47C 1/031 (20060101); A47C
001/035 () |
Field of
Search: |
;297/70,75,76,84,85,423.28,423.34,423.35 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Brown; Peter R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Pillsbury Madison & Sutro
Intellectual Property Group
Parent Case Text
This invention claims priority of U.S. provisional application No.
60/080,887 filed on Apr. 7, 1998, the complete disclosure of which
is incorporated herein by reference.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A low-leg reclining chair comprising:
a base;
right and left sides;
a seat;
a back;
an ottoman having a primary section and a secondary section,
and
reclining mechanisms mounted as mirror-image duplicates of each
other at said right and left sides of said chair, respectively,
said reclining mechanisms interconnecting said seat, said back, and
said primary and secondary sections of said ottoman so as to permit
movement of said seat, said back and said ottoman between a fully
erect position, in which said primary section is exposed beneath
said seat and said secondary section is concealed behind said
primary section, and at least one reclining position, in which both
said primary and secondary sections are extended with said
secondary section positioned between said primary section and said
seat,
wherein each of said reclining mechanisms comprises an upper
longitudinal seat-mounting link and a multiple-link linkage
subassembly provided at a front end of said seat that interconnects
said primary and secondary sections to said upper longitudinal
seat-mounting link; said multiple-link linkage subassembly
comprising:
an upper forward link and a lower forward link vertically spaced
from each other and each having respective forward ends and rear
ends, said forward ends being pivotally connected to said primary
section, said rear ends being interconnected to said seat-mounting
link; and
a one-piece secondary ottoman-mounting link having first and second
ends, said first end being connected to said secondary section and
said second end being pivotally connected at an intermediate
position of said lower forward link, said secondary
ottoman-mounting link further comprising an intermediate portion
positioned between said first and second ends, said intermediate
portion being pivotally connected to said upper forward link at an
intermediate position of said upper forward link.
2. A low-leg reclining chair according to claim 1, said
multiple-link linkage subassembly further comprises a lower rear
link and an upper rear link for respectively interconnecting said
upper forward link and said lower forward link to said
seat-mounting link.
3. A low-leg reclining chair according to claim 2, wherein:
said rear end of said lower front link is pivotally connected to a
forward end of said upper rear link;
said rear end of said upper front link is pivotally connected to a
forward end of said lower rear link;
said upper forward link crosses and is pivotally connected to said
upper rear link.
4. A low-leg reclining chair according to claim 1, wherein said
seat-mounting link is carried by said sides of said chair.
5. A low-leg reclining chair according to claim 1, wherein said
secondary ottoman-mounting link comprises a stem portion extending
from said secondary section and a lower leg portion generally
perpendicular to said stem portion and spaced from said secondary
section by said stem portion, wherein in the fully erect position
said stem portion is oriented substantially horizontally and said
lower leg is oriented substantially vertically, and further wherein
in the reclined position said stem portion is oriented
substantially vertically and said lower leg is oriented
substantially horizontally.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to non-swiveling, motion furniture that
reclines from an erect position to one or more reclined positions,
especially low-leg motion furniture.
2. Description of the Related Art
On most reclining chairs, the base is supported from the floor by
glides provided on the underside of the base. For such chairs, the
actual supporting glides and feet attached thereto, if any, are
commonly hidden from view. False showy feet are sometimes attached
to the arm frames of the chairs, although such false showy feet are
typically spaced from or barely contact the ground so as not to
constitute part of the supporting structure.
Another type of reclining chair known in the art is the
high-leg-style recliners, which are characterized by relatively
tall legs supporting the arm frame from the floor. The base of the
mechanism is supported at an elevated level between the arm frames.
One such exceptional high-leg recliner is the subject of U.S. Pat.
No. 5,013,084 to May, issued May 7, 1991, the complete disclosure
of which is incorporated herein by reference. A commercial version
of the mechanism depicted in that patent is known as the Action
Industries Inc. high leg recliner 2700 mechanism.
As shown by this sequence of movements depicted in FIGS. 2-4 of the
'084 patent, movement of the chair from the fully erect position
(depicted in FIG. 2 of the '084 patent) to the partially or fully
reclining positions (respectively depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the
'084 patent) requires that the primary ottoman pivot downward far
below the base of the chair and behind the secondary ottoman,
before being pivoted upwardly and forwardly to the extended
positions.
Apparently, there is a segment of the potential market for
reclining chairs which is under served. This segment is composed of
potential customers who like some decorative wood showing at the
lower corners of their upholstered chairs, but do not want a
high-leg-style recliner. However, substitution of the reclining
assembly disclosed by the '084 patent into a low-leg-style recliner
is not possible, since the proximity of the floor to the chair base
would cause the floor to obstruct the pivotal movement of the
ottoman into its extended position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A low-leg reclining chair disclosed herein includes a base, right
and left sides, a seat, a back, and an ottoman having first and
second sections. The seat, back, and first and second sections of
the ottoman are interconnected by a reclining mechanism that
permits movement of the seat, back and ottoman between a fully
erect position and at least one reclining position. In the fully
erect position, the primary section remains exposed along the chair
beneath the seat with the secondary section tucked therebehind. In
the reclining position, both the primary and secondary sections are
fully extended with the secondary section positioned between the
primary section and the seat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The following drawings assist in elucidating the principles of this
invention. In such drawings:
FIG. 1 is a schematic of a side elevation view of one side
mechanism, particularly showing the inboard side of a right side
mechanism in its fully erect position and adapted for three-way
operation;
FIG. 2 is a schematic of a side elevation view of the mechanism of
FIG. 1 in its TV position; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic of a side elevation view of the mechanism of
FIGS. 1 and 2 in its fully reclined position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Although it is difficult to draw a distinct definitional line
between a short-leg recliner chair and a high-leg recliner chair, a
good working definition is that a high-leg recliner has at least
five inches of leg protruding downwards to the floor from the lower
edge of the ottoman when the chair is fully erect, and an overall
style that permits a five-foot six-inch tall person to see the
floor under the center of the chair when the chair is fully erect
and the person is standing across the room, e.g., at a distance of
fifteen feet from the chair. Often, although not essentially, a
high-leg recliner has exposed wood legs, often including
longitudinal (i.e., front to back) and/or transverse horizontal
rungs interconnecting vertically intermediate sites on the legs
and/or one another. Also, often, although not essentially, a
short-leg recliner has a depending skirt around the lower margin of
the upholstered frame.
For convenience in description in referring to the chair and
mechanisms, the term "inboard" refers to towards the longitudinal
median of the chair; "outboard" refers to the laterally,
transversally outwards direction away from the longitudinal median.
The terms "right" and "left" are used assuming the perspective of
an occupant of the chair.
Although the chair 100 shown in FIG. 1 incorporates reclining
mechanism 102, the reclining mechanism 102 is hidden by upholstery
and other chair structure in FIG. 1. The chair 100 is shown in its
fully-erect position in FIG. 1. In this position, the chair back is
up, and the ottoman is stowed.
The chair 100 includes an upholstered base frame 104 which includes
left generally vertical side 106 and right generally vertical side
(not shown) topped by generally horizontal, longitudinally
extending arms 108 (in this instance upholstered, rolled arms), and
a set of depending legs 110 for supporting the chair 100 on a
floor.
The chair base frame 104 is shown being upholstered, as arc the
other components (apart from the mechanisms 102, which will be
described below). Conventional upholstery of cloth and/or leather
may be used, as may be synthetic sheets and composites such as
"vinyl" upholstery. The mechanisms of the invention impose no
particular limitations on the materials that the chair can be made
of, as it is believed a person of ordinary skill in the art will
readily understand. Preferred materials used for manufacturing the
chair (apart from the mechanisms) include particle board, wood,
mechanical fasteners, adhesive, batting, foamed plastic, chair
springs, non-woven fiber, cloth and miscellaneous hardware. The
mechanisms are preferably predominately made of links cut and bent
from steel plate and painted matte black, these being interpivoted,
connected and stopped by steel pins and rivets, with bushings of
lubricous plastic sheet material interposed between members of
joints. Springs are made of spring steel.
The chair 104 further includes a seat 112 and a back 114. It is
conventional for recliner chairs to have two-part ottomans (which
some people would call a leg-rest or a foot-rest), i.e., a primary
ottoman 116 (the one that is exposed in FIG. 1) and a secondary
ottoman 118 which, in the fully-erect position of the chair may be
hidden in back of the primary ottoman 116.
The chair back 114 need not have wings 120, but wings 120 on such
chairs arc a popular feature. In some low-leg recliners, the seat
comprises an underlying support attached to the side mechanisms and
surmounted by a loose cushion. In other instances, the support
structure and cushion are built into a unitary assembly which is
mounted as a whole to the side mechanisms.
In the chair 100 provided with the mechanism of the present
invention, there is preferably no hand crank or motor for operating
the chair. Rather, the fully-erect chair is operated by an occupant
by pushing forwards on the arms 108 relative to the seat 112 to
extend the ottomans 116 and 118 and move the seat 112 somewhat
forwards relative to the base 104 to achieve the TV position. In
instances where the chair 100 is a three-position chair, full
recline is achieved from the TV position, by the occupant by
pushing back with his or her shoulders on the upper part of the
chair back 114, causing the chair 100 back to tilt down relative to
the base 104 (and also lowering the seat relative to the base104),
thereby lowering the chair/occupant composite center of gravity as
reclining of the back 114 shifts the composite center of gravity
rearwardly, thereby preserving tolerable stability.
The mechanism 102 shown in FIGS. 1-3 is a right side mechanism. The
chair 100 is provided with both a left side mechanism and a right
side mechanism, one being a mirror image of the other, each being
comparably mounted to the chair parts and the two cooperating as
the chair is operated.
The mechanism 102 includes a long, upper longitudinal link 122,
which, like all the links to be described is preferably stamped,
bent and punched or drilled from metal plate. The links are
preferably planar, except that many of the links have one or more
shallow-S double bends in them, where necessary to prevent the
links from interfering with position or intended loci of movement
of one another. Thus, for instance, the forward end portion of the
link 122 jogs inboard by one thickness at 124 and the rear portion
thereof jogs inboard by three thicknesses at 126, both compared
with the central portion of the long link 122. The rear portion of
the link 122 is shaped as an upwardly projecting spur 128.
The central portion of the long link 122 is shown provided with a
series of holes 130 to receive fasteners for fastening the
mechanism to a respective side of the seat 112 of the chair
100.
The mechanism 102 further includes a base-mounting bracket 132
which is provided by a link folded along a longitudinal axis so as
to have an outboard vertically-oriented, longitudinally-extending
flange 134 which extends throughout approximately the rear eighty
percent of the bracket 132, and a generally horizontally,
inboard-extending flange at the lower extent of the flange 134,
which extends throughout approximately the foremost two-thirds of
the bracket 132. The flange 136 is provided with a series of holes
136 to receive fasteners for fastening a respective side 106 of the
base frame 104 to the mechanism 102. The flange 134 is located
inboard of the central portion of the long frame-mounting link 122
by about seven link thicknesses.
The feature indicated on the flange 134 is not a slot; rather it is
an outboard-facing groove embossed in the link, which causes a
corresponding low ridge extending along the inboard face of the
flange 134, the purpose of such embossment being to impart improved
anti-bending strength to this link. (Other links are shown having
similar embossments, as will be briefly pointed out as the
respective links are described in the description below.)
The link shown located furthest outboard on the mechanism 102 is
the flat, V-shaped back-mounting link 140, located on the outboard
side of the spur 128 of the seat-mounting link 122. The link 140 is
shown provided through the thickness thereof with a series of
vertically spaced holes 142 for receiving fasteners for securing
the link to a respective edge of the chair back 114.
At its forward end (when in the closed position shown in FIG. 1,
equating to the fully erect position of the chair), the mechanism
102 has a primary ottoman mounting bracket 144 in the form of a
link folded along a line which is substantially vertical when the
mechanism 102 is in its closed position, so as to have at its
forward margin a face provided with a series of vertically spaced
openings for mounting a corresponding end of the primary ottoman
116 thereto.
By preference, the chair 100 further includes a secondary ottoman
118, and, for mounting it, the mechanism preferably includes a
secondary ottoman mounting link 146.
The links and brackets by which the mechanism 102 unites the chair
100 into a unitary structure carried on the chair base have all
been introduced above; the remainder of the description relates how
the links and brackets of a mechanism 102 are interconnected and
how they interact in use. Unless the contrary appears, all of the
rivets, pivot joints and pins described below have transverse
horizontally-extending main axes (i.e., their own longitudinal axes
extend crosswise of the chair and are horizontal). Even if not
specifically mentioned, any of the pivot joints can include
washer-like bushings, e.g., made of a lubricous synthetic plastic
material such as nylon, between the interpivoted parts and/or
between the pivot pin head and/or upset tail and the respective
adjacent part. And any stop pin or mounting pin may be a plain
metal pin, or, where cushioning or noise-reduction is a
consideration, a metal pin sleeved with a tubular bushing of
lubricous synthetic plastic material such as nylon.
A multiple-link lazy tongs-type linkage 150 is provided at the
front end of the seat-mounting link 122 for mounting the primary
ottoman-mounting bracket 144 and secondary ottoman-mounting link
146.
The linkage 150 is shown comprising upper and lower forward links
152, 154 and upper and lower rear links 156, 158.
The front ends of the upper and lower forward links 152, 154 are
connected one above the other (in the closed position of the
mechanism in FIG. 1) to the longitudinal flange of the primary
ottoman mounting bracket 144 by respective pivot joints 160,
162.
The rear ends of the upper and lower rear links 156, 158 are
connected one in front of and above the other to the forward
portion of the seat-mounting link 122 by respective pivot joints
164, 166.
A pivot joint 168 is provided where the upper forward link 152
crosses the upper rear link 156, located approximately eighty
percent down from the upper ends of these links. The lower end of
the lower front link 154 is connected to the lower end of the upper
rear link 156 by a pivot joint 170, and the lower end of the upper
front link 152 is connected to the lower end of the lower rear link
158 by a pivot joint 172. In the preferred embodiment, the upper
rear link 156 is flat, the central approximately eighty percent of
the lower front link 154 is jogged outboards by about two link
thicknesses, and the upper approximately twenty percent of the
upper and lower rear links 156 and 158 are jogged outboards by
about three link thicknesses.
An inboard-extending pin 174 provided on the upper rear link 156
about one-third back from its front end is available to engage the
upper edge of the upper front link 152 at 176 and 178 to provide
respective stops limiting retraction and extension of the lazy
tongs linkage as the primary ottoman is stowed and deployed.
The secondary ottoman mounting link 146 is connected to upper front
link 152 at joint 180 and to lower front link 154 at joint 182,
which (as depicted in the fully erect position of FIG. 1) is
vertically below joint 180. Accordingly, as the primary ottoman 116
is extended from its stowed, on edge, location under the front lip
of the seat 112, the secondary ottoman-mounting link 146 pivots the
secondary ottoman 118 through approximately ninety degrees back
towards the seat 112 (clockwise in the figures). The secondary
ottoman 118 is thereby moved from a vertically oriented position
behind the primary ottoman 116 (see FIG. 1) to a horizontal
position (see FIGS. 2 and 3) substantially horizontal and coplanar
with primary ottoman 116, with joint 182 positioned slightly higher
than joint 180.
The seat-mounting link 122 is shown provided with front and rear
depending links 198, 200 respectively connected at their upper ends
to the central portion of the link 122 about one-third back from
the front end of the link 122 by a pivot joint 202, and to the base
of the spur 128 near the rear end of the link 122 by a pivot joint
204.
The front depending link 198 has a depending toe 206 projecting
forwards. The lower sixty percent of the link 198 is jogged
inboards about four link thicknesses compared to the upper twenty
percent thereof. The toe 206 includes joint 208.
An ottoman lazy tongs operator link 210 has a rear, lower end
connected to the toe 206 of the front depending link 198 by the
pivot joint 208, and a front, upper end connected to a site on the
lower rear link 158 of the lazy tongs about forty percent of the
way down from the upper end of that link, by a pivot joint 212.
Accordingly, when the front depending link 198 swings forwards
about its upper end 202, the operator link 210 has its rear, lower
end pushed towards the pivot joints by which the upper and lower
rear links 156 and 158 are connected to the base-mounting link 122,
thereby extending the lazy tongs and thrusting the ottoman 116. The
reverse happens as the front depending link swings 198 rearwards
about its upper end 202.
The back-mounting link 140 is a generally V-shaped link the rear
leg of which is shown being somewhat less tall than the forward leg
thereof. One of the holes for mounting the back is shown provided
at the upper end of the forward leg, and the other is shown
provided about forty percent up the rear leg from the lower end.
The back-mounting link 140 is shown connected near its lower end,
in the region where its legs join, to the spur 128 of the
seat-mounting link 122, near the upper end of the spur 128, by a
pivot joint 141.
About three-quarters of an inch about the joint 141, the link 140
is provided with an inboard-projecting pin 143 which is available
to engage the rear edge of the spur 128 above the joint 141 as the
chair 100 is erected for defining the location of the back in the
fully-erect position of the chair and helping to maintain the back
tightly in place in the closed position of the mechanism.
The mechanism 102 further includes an operator link 220 for the
back-mounting link 140. The operator link 220 has an upper end
connected to the upper end of the rear leg of the back-mounting
link 140 by a pivot joint 222, and a lower end connected to the
rear end of the vertical, longitudinal flange of the base-mounting
bracket 132 by a pivot joint 224. Accordingly, when the
base-mounting bracket 132 translates forwards relative to the
seat-mounting link 122, and the latter tips upwards to the front
slightly as the mechanism opens from the fully closed (FIG. 1) to
the TV position (FIG. 2), the operator link 220 mainly merely
pivots forwards around its upper end, but also is pulled slightly
downwards in a translational sense, so that the back-mounting link
140 tilts slightly to the rear, thus slightly tilting the back of
the chair 100.
The upper ten percent of the operator link 220 is jogged about five
link-thicknesses outboards relative to the lowest two-thirds of
that link. An impressed stiffening ridge is also present at
222.
If the chair 100 is provided to have a third, fully-reclined
position (FIG. 3), in achieving this position from the TV position
(by means hereinafter more fully described), the front of the
seat-mounting link 122 raises about one and a quarter inches, and
the rear of the seat-mounting link 122 raises about one half of an
inch and the seat-mounting link 122 swings rearwards about
one-quarter of an inch. This action, in combination, pulls
downwards and forwards on the back-mounting link operating link
220, causing the latter to rotate rearwardly about its connection
to the spur 128 by about fifteen degrees, thereby reclining the
chair back.
The remaining structure of the mechanism 102 mounts the
base-mounting bracket 132 to the seat-mounting bracket and operates
the base-mounting bracket 132 in relation to the seat-mounting
bracket, also causing operation of ottoman and chair back as has
been described above. The remaining structure of the mechanism 102
is the most difficult to visualize because it is, in general,
sandwiched between the longitudinal flange of the base-mounting
bracket 132 and the seat-mounting link 122.
The upper end of the rear depending link 200 is shown provided with
a rearwardly-extending prong 230. The base link 122 is shown
provided at the base of the spur 128, behind and below the pivot
joint 204 connecting the upper end of the rear depending link 200
to the seat-mounting link 122, with an inboards-extending pin 232.
The pin 232 engages the lower edge of the prong 230 to limit
forwards swinging of the rear depending link 200 (and therefore the
front depending link 198 and the seat-mounting bracket) relative to
the seat-mounting link 122, as the mechanism 102 opens from the
closed to the TV position thereof.
A longitudinally short control link 234 is connected by its upper,
rear end to the vertical longitudinal flange of the base-mounting
bracket 132 about twenty-five percent forwards from the rear end of
the base-mounting bracket 132 and about one-fourth of an inch below
the inboards-extending flange of the base-mounting bracket 132, by
a pivot joint 236. The link 234 is about two inches long. Its
forward, lower end is jogged outboards relative to its rear, upper
end by about three link thicknesses. That outer portion is provided
with a slot 238, elongated along the length of the link 234, and a
sliding, pivotal connection is made between such portion and the
lower end of the rear depending link 200 by a pivot joint 240 which
can slide along the slot 238.
When the mechanism 102 is closed, the link 234 projects downwards
and slightly forwards and the pivot joint 240 is located at the
upper end of the slot 238. As the mechanism opens from the closed
position (FIG. 1) to the TV position (FIG. 2), the link 234 pivots
forwards about fifty degrees about its upper end as the pivot joint
240 slides to bottom of the slot 238. As the mechanism 102 moves
from the TV position to the fully-reclined position, the link
rotates approximately seventy degrees further in the same direction
(so that the control link projects upwards and forwards at about a
forty-five degree angle) and the pivot joint 240 slides back to the
same end of the slot it occupied in the closed (FIG. 1) position.
(Because the control link has rotated so much between its FIG. 1
and FIG. 3 positions that it has become generally inverted, the
lower end of the slot 238 in FIG. 1 will be called its outer end,
and the upper end of the slot 238 in FIG. 1 will be called its
inner end, both relative to the pivot joint 236.)
The mechanism 102 further includes three boomerang (or
arcuate)-shaped links, namely a forward long one 242, which is
concave upwards, a rear long one 244, which is concave downwards,
and, under the rear half of the rear long arcuate link, a rear
short arcuate link 246, which is concave upwards.
The forward upwardly-concave arcuate link 242 is connected in its
central elbow region to the vertical longitudinal flange of the
base-mounting bracket 132 near the fold line of the base-mounting
bracket 132, about one-third of the way back from the front end of
the base-mounting bracket 132, by a pivot joint 248. The front end
portion (about three-quarters of an inch) of the link 242 is jogged
outboards by about two link thicknesses, and about the same amount
of the rear end portion is jogged outboards by about one link
thickness.
The front end of the link 242 is connected to the base of the
upright standard of the front depending link 198 by a pivot joint
250.
In the closed position (and in the TV position), an
inboards-projecting pin 252 provided on the front arm of the link
242 about two-thirds of the way forwards along that arm from the
pivot joint 248, engages on a recessed upper edge region of the
vertical longitudinal flange of the seat-mounting bracket.
In the fully-reclined position (FIG. 3), an upper edge portion of
the link 242, forwardly of the pivot joint 248, engages an
outboards-extending pin provided on the vertical, longitudinal
flange of the base-mounting bracket for limiting tilting-down of
the back and raising of the seat, both relative to the
base-mounting link 122.
The rear upwardly-concave link 246 is connected at its central bend
to the vertical, longitudinal flange of the base-mounting bracket
at the rear end of the latter, below the connection of the lower
end of the back-operating link to that flange, by a pivot joint
254.
The forward end of the rear upwardly-concave link 246 is connected
to the rear depending link 200 about forty percent of the way up
from the lower end of the latter, by a pivot joint 256.
The link 246 remains immobile as the mechanism moves between its
fully closed (FIG. 1) and TV (FIG. 2) positions, with an
outboards-projecting pin 258 on the vertical, longitudinal flange
of the base-mounting bracket 132 engaging the lower edge of the
link 246 approximately midway between the pivot joints 248 and
256.
The mechanism 102 is shown provided with aligned openings 260, 262
through the vertical, longitudinal flange of the base-mounting
bracket 132 above the pin 258 and through the link 246. For
restricting the chair 100 to having only a fully-erect and a TV
position, a rivet can be installed through the aligned openings
260, 262, as well.
The rear, concave-downwards link 244 has its rear end connected to
the rear end of the link 246 by a pivot joint 266 and its front end
connected to the rear end of the forward concave-upwards link 242
by a pivot joint 267. The links 242, 244, 246, and 247 remain
immobile as the mechanism 102 moves between its closed (FIG. 1) and
TV (FIG. 2) positions.
As the mechanism 102 moves from the TV position (FIG. 2) to the
fully-reclined position (FIG. 3), the forward, upwardly-arcuate
link 242 rocks towards the rear about its central pivot joint, thus
raising the front of the seat-mounting link 122 relative to the
base-mounting bracket 1322, shifting the rear, downwardly-concave
link 244 rearwards, thereby raising the rear of the seat-mounting
link 122.
The raising of the rear of the seat-mounting link pulls down the
lower end of the back-operating link, thereby fully reclining the
chair back.
When the mechanism is in its TV position (FIG. 2), the ottoman can
be retracted by the occupant by pulling backwards with his or her
heels on the front edge of the primary ottoman 116, while pushing
forwards on the arms 108 the chair. However, when the chair 102 is
in its fully-reclined position, the pivotal connection of the front
end of the rear upwardly-concave link to the intermediate location
on the rear depending link forces the pivot joint at the lower end
of the rear depending link along the slot in which it is mounted,
to the inner end of that slot, and the angular orientation of the
link in which the slot is provided then prevents the rear depending
link from swinging about its upper end pivot joint, thus preventing
the ottoman from being retracted. In other words, the
ottoman-mounting lazy tongs is locked in an extended condition so
long as the chair back is fully reclined.
In the preferred embodiment, the seat-mounting link is about
sixteen inches long (as projected onto a horizontal,
longitudinally-extending line, i.e., not adding five more inches
for the distance up the spur 128, but only the about two inches
that the spur projects rearwards of its own base on the link
122).
Erecting the chair from a reclined position, to a TV position, and
to a fully-erect position involves a reversal of the steps
explained above. The weight of the person, concentrating on the
seat, pushes the seat down, pulling up the back, whereupon ottoman
retraction is assisted by the person's heels.
It should now be apparent that the mechanism for low-leg reclining
chair as described hereinabove, possesses each of the attributes
set forth in the specification under the heading "Summary of the
Invention" hereinbefore. Because it can be modified to some extent
without departing from the principles thereof as they have been
outlined and explained in this specification, the present invention
should be understood as encompassing all such modifications as are
within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
* * * * *